The great thing about podcasting is that everyone can do it. It is a rare medium that is almost as easy to make as it is to consume. And as such, no two people do it exactly the same way. There are a wealth of hardware and software solutions that are open to potential podcasters, so setups run the range from NPR studios to USB Skype -Rigs (the latter became a kind of standard during the pandemic).
This week we spoke with Jody Avirgan, who is co-gastheer “Summer album / winter album” With the frontman of the American Indie Rock band The Hold Steady, Craig Finn. Every episode believes that Avirgan and Finn debate or a classic album should be categorized as a “summer album” or “winter album”.
Avirgan-Die Earlier shows shows for Radiotopia, TED, Fivethirtyeight and ESPN-Vertelde us about his favorite podcasting setup. Here he is in his own words:
“Even when I worked at ESPN/Fivethirtyeight, I always had a home recording. Since the departure – which coincidentally coincided with the start of the Pandemie – I have made my basement studio my main house. It is actually the kitchen of an apartment for basement studio, so just off-frame, behind some curtains, is a fridge (disconnected), sink and many cupboards.
“But I have hung tons of curtains, spread soft things nearby and have set up a number of sound -damping panels. I think it is now both cozy and quite warm sounding. My microphone is an electro-voice re27n/d, a studio microphone of $ 500.
“To be clear: I don’t earn any money. We bought this microphone when I organized 30 to 30 hours. I left ESPN three weeks before the Pandemic Hit, and somewhere within it I wrote an e -mail asking if they wanted me to return the microphone. I never received a response and I certainly did not write a follow-up. So I saved it. This is probably the reason why Disney shares have fallen by 20% over the past five years. It is a very warm microphone, but it is a colossus.
“When I am on the road, I pack an AT2020-USB+that is connected to my computer and I can find tracking over which knockout knock-out-out-masters under a blanket in a hotel cupboard, the natural habitat of a podcaster .
“I walk my microphone through the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, a simple but powerful interface with which I can control my microphone levels and route directly to my computer, where I often am with people over Zoom or River. I always record a local back -up file with Hindenburg, which I then store for Dropbox. All roads eventually lead to Dropbox.
“The only place I deviate from the typical Podcaster 101 kit is in my headphones. Everyone has the Sony MDR-7506 and I went there my honest part of it, but I really love the red NTH-100 headphones. They are just a bit more comfortable, look a bit smoother, and so far the filling has not been broken down in the way the filling on the Sony’s does that inevitably, so that someone finds small black spots in their ears after sticking.
“Like many podcasters, I have done more and more video pulses lately. I use descript for years, but because the worlds of audio and video have been merged, I am currently doing almost all of my adaptation. I make social videos of our conversations for “This day“And”Summer album / winter album‘But also original things I played with on Instagram.
“I do a series every week where I do Try to guess the title From the New Yorker cover of that week, and I immediately record that and turn it around for 20 minutes with a template that I have built. Description – I am a big fan. It is very versatile and it is nice to work with a program that seems to give nonsense about what podcasters want, unlike Protools.
“I suppose I also had to think a considerable amount of my visual setup. I bought the webcam that the Wirecutter has recommended, but to be honest, I prefer the appearance of the MacBook camera, so I usually just use that. In my background I have placed a few books to prove that I know how to read; A signed photo of George Mikan, about who was a bit in “Death at the Wing” – and $ 28 of fake plants from Ikea.
“I block the view, so I don’t think people can even see that the plants are there; But I would like to know that they are there and will always be there, because of forever plastics. “
We have previously asked others of our favorite podcast -hosts and producers to emphasize their workflows – the equipment and software they use to do the job. The list so far includes: